Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:58:03 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Barbara E. Cohen" Subject: Thesauri and Authority Files ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I agree with some of the comments made about using standardized lists--librarians and indexers have complementary but not identical purposes in developing authority files. On the other hand, I would like to see indexing information refer to some of the authority files more, because I think this is just the sort of thing beginning indexers find hard to uncover. Except for Webster's Biographical and Geographical, I don't recall the Chicago Manual of Style mentioning any other standard lists--and most of my clients say "follow CMS." Maybe ASI needs to develop a publication listing suitable authority files and standard books that might prove useful for recurring subject areas. I'd particularly like to find a source for names in the current news, because I do a number of political science books, in which authors consistently avoid using full names or even any names (how often is the shah of Iran referred to by name?). Right now I rely on my local library information line, and the reference librarians are most patient with me. I try to annotate Webster's Biog. so I don't have to call again about the same person. What do other people do? I would also like to see Cindex develop a version of Webster's Biographical on-line like the spell-checker, because that would save me lots of time. Does anyone know any complementary software that could handle this? (Oh, I mean compatible software, not complementary--It's getting late and my brain is not working too well at the moment. Sorry.) Barbara E. Cohen (becohen@well.sf.ca.us) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:58:51 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Joan Stout Subject: Re: CINDEX In-Reply-To: <199301212104.AA13952@lamb.sas.com>; from "DHUERTA%COLGATEU.BITNET@pucc.Princeton.EDU" at Jan 21, 93 3:39 pm ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > > ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- > I am looking for information about using CINDEX. What do you folks who > use it think about it? Where is it available? What sort of competition > does it have? I am contemplating using it for a small desktop publishing > enterprise in which indexing is critical and somewhat specialized. > > Debbie Huerta > IN%"DHuerta@Colgateu.bitnet" or @Center.Colgate.edu > Thank you! > Hi, Debbie. I've been using CINDEX for about six years, and I like it a lot. It's very flexible, and it has many capabilities that I've never even used. Most of my work is for three publishers. Each one uses a different format, and CINDEX can handle them all. In November, I had my first case of having to re-number pages. The compositor had mis-numbered everything by 3. The editor was very apologetic about all the work I was going to have to do to fix it. With CINDEX, it took a one-line command and about 20 seconds. I've never had a problem with CINDEX. I once thought I did, but it turned out to be a computer problem. I called Ms. Lennie at CINDEX, and she spent about half an hour with me, trying to figure out the problem. The only thing I dislike about CINDEX is the lack of a spell-checker. I import my indexes to WordPerfect to check spelling. However, the latest version, 5.1, has spell-checking. I suppose I should upgrade! You say that indexing is "somewhat specialized" in your business. It's likely that CINDEX can handle your requirements. You can order a CINDEX demo for $35. When I did this, it included the manual and a disk that worked like the real thing, but with a limit of 100 entries. The address: Indexing Research Box 18609 Rochester, NY 14618-0609 (716) 461-5530 FAX: (716) 442-3924 CINDEX's biggest competition is Macrex. I've talked to several indexers who were as happy with Macrex as I am with CINDEX. When I was looking at software, I also ordered the Macrex demo. The instructions for the demo completely confused me. I tried to read the manual, and it totally confused me, also. To be fair, I was rather computer illiterate at the time. Also, that was six years ago, and the Macrex documentation is probably better now. The Macrex demo is $50. The address: Bayside Indexing Service 265 Arlington Avenue Kensington, CA 94707-1401 (510) 524-4195 FAX: (510) 527-4681 Happy searching! Joan Stout sasjcs@unx.sas.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 10:43:35 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: Michael Hutchins Subject: Automated Indexing / Linkin ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Subject: Time:19:26 OFFICE MEMO Automated Indexing / Linking /_ Date:1/22/93 I've been looking for systems / applications / tool kits that do non-trivial Automated Indexing / Linking / Tagging / Content Analysis. I'm interested in these for application to Technical Reference Manuals (TRMs), rather than for the broader general IR types of application. The only thing I've found so far is Lotus(Samna)'s SmarText. A "non-trivial automatic indexing" thing it does (for example) is to look at the pattern of distribution of each term, towards figuring out which pieces of a document contain significant information about that term's topic. A TRM-specific thing one could do, for example, is to assume that if a term appears in a section header, the occurrence of its topic in that section is substantive. Does anyone know of any other such products? Michael Hutchins pmh@draper.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:49:43 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group Comments: Warning -- original Sender: tag was cweaver@CARSON.U.WASHINGTON.EDU From: Carolyn Weaver Subject: "Home Office Computing" Index ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I noticed in recent issues of "Home Office Computing" that they are offering the annual index to the magazine on disk for approximately $6.95, and also claim that the software for the index can be used to index other magazines. Has anyone tried the software? My assumption is that it's far too elementary for professional indexing but might work for some personal applications; and since that question sometimes comes up across the reference desk from people who don't want to shell out large $$$ for professional indexing software... Carolyn Weaver cweaver@u.washington.edu voice: 206/543-3401 (days); 206/643-1614 (evenings) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:50:10 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: HANKS@UTHSCSA.BITNET Subject: Re: CINDEX ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- As far as I know, it is only for the PC or its equivalent. My brochure does not indicate a MAC version. Ellen Hanks, Briscoe Lib., U Tex HSC, San Antonio ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 15:50:31 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: HANKS@UTHSCSA.BITNET Subject: Re: CINDEX ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I would be interested in MACREX (which I've never heard of). I would like to comparison-shop before investing a substantial sum of money. Ellen Hanks, Briscoe Library, U Tex HSC, San Antonio. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 09:24:10 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group From: "Nancy C. Mulvany" Subject: ASI's 25th Anniversary Conference ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- INDEXING, PROVIDING ACCESS TO INFORMATION: LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD 25th Anniversary Conference of the American Society of Indexers May 20-22, 1993 Old Colony Inn Alexandria, Virginia Conference Chair: Nancy Mulvany (nmulvany@well.sf.ca.us) PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE PROGRAM PRECONFERENCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1993 MORNING SESSIONS (8:30AM TO 12:30PM) Workshop 1A The Business Side of Freelance Indexing: Bidding and Scheduling Frances Lennie, Indexing Research Alexandra Nickerson, Nickerson Indexing Services We will address the practical business needs of new and established freelance indexers alike. The arcana of running an efficient and professional indexing business venture will be explored together with strategies to improve your productivity and morale. We will examine the components of the bidding process; how to cost your time, how to prepare an estimate for a project and present it to the client, and how to formalize the arrangement. We will also look at solutions to projects that do not adhere to their original specifications. Hand-in-hand with the bidding process is the art of scheduling. We will introduce tools to help you keep track of current and future projects. Suggestions as how best to liaise with editors, evaluate your personal work habits, audit your own performance, and cope with unexpected contingencies will also be examined. Workshop 1B Thesaurus Management Dr. Jessica Milstead, The JELEM Company This workshop will introduce you to design and development of information retrieval thesauri. Since a thesaurus is not necessary for every indexing project, we will consider the kinds of projects for which one would be useful. This will be followed by an introduction to the basic principles of thesauri, the kinds of terms used and their structure, and the devices which aid both indexing users and search users in locating useful terms. We will also give attention to the ways in which a thesaurus shows relationships among terms. Dr. Jessica Milstead is Principal of The JELEM Company, which offers consulting services in index and thesaurus development. Jessica has taught workshops in thesaurus management and indexing for such organizations as the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services and Rutgers University. She is the author of numerous journal articles and several books. AFTERNOON SESSIONS (1:30PM TO 5:30PM) Workshop 2A Contracting with the Federal Government Victoria Agee, Agee Indexing Services This is an introductory seminar for those needing to understand the federal procurement process. The focus will be on businesses that are developing a marketing program that targets the federal government as a prospective buyer. We will discuss: Getting into the loop Finding out about government contracts How the SBA can help you Bidding on contracts Writing proposals Understanding the process How to deliver once you get the job An expert trainer will explain the contract process. We will hear from a federal contracting officer and independent contractors with service-oriented, federal contract experience. Workshop 2B Working as an Indexer in the Database Industry Judith Douville, NdS Information Consultants A Quarter-Century of Database Indexing Working In-house as a Database Indexer Working Freelance as a Database Indexer Freelance Opportunities in Database A&I This session will provide participants with an excellent opportunity to hear about the diverse field of database indexing from those with years of experience in the database industry. Judith Douville, NdS Information Consultants, Workshop Coordinator Mauro Pittaro, Engineering Information, Inc. Janet Berkson, National Agriculture Library Marie Kascus, Elihu Burritt Library Kevin Mulrooney, freelancer All workshops will be held at the Old Colony Inn. Space is limited. Register early! THURSDAY EVENING RECEPTION FOR ASI'S PRESIDENTS 7:30PM TO 9:00PM All conference participants are invited to join us on Thursday evening at an informal reception honoring the ASI presidents of the past twenty-five years. The reception will be held at our conference site, the Old Colony Inn. There will be snacks and a no-host bar. Please indicate on your Registration Form if you plan to attend. FRIDAY MAY 21, 1993 Keeping Up With the Times (& the Deadlines): Indexing at BNA Enid Zafran and Coleen MacKay, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. Delivering Database Information to the User: Technology, Media, Content Barbara Preschel, Public Affairs Information Service Daniel Uchitelle, Modern Language Association Sarah Mulholland, American Psychological Association Monica Pronin, American Petroleum Institute Keynote Speaker Christopher Locke, Vice President, Avalanche Development Co., Boulder, CO Chris Locke has worked in AI research environments for Fujitsu, Ricoh and the Japanese government's Fifth Generation Computer Systems project. As a thoughtful critic of knowledge-based systems, Locke is a frequent contributor to various publications including Byte and Newsweek. Buffet Lunch Computer-Assisted Database Indexing Dr. Bella Hass Weinberg, St. John's University Gail Hodge, BIOSIS Susanne Humphrey, National Library of Medicine Matthew Koll, Personal Library Software Linguistic Analysis Tools for Computer-Assisted Indexing Derek Proudian, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Standards for Indexes: Why Should We Care? James D. Anderson, Rutgers, Chair of the NISO committee to revise ANSI Z39.4-1984. Janet Shuter, England, member of the international ISO 999 committee and the British BS 3700 committee for index standards SATURDAY MAY 22, 1993 The Profession of Indexing: An International Perspective Garry Cousins, Australian Society of Indexers Michele Hudon, President, Indexing and Abstracting Society of Canada Tom G. McFadden, President, American Society of Indexers Elizabeth Wallis, Chair, Society of Indexers ASI Oral Histories: The First Twenty-five Years Dorothy Thomas, moderator Participants include: Alan Greengrass, Barbara Preschel, BevAnne Ross, Hans Wellisch, Ben-Ami Lipetz, Jessica Milstead, Jeanne Moody, Nancy Mulvany, Linda Fetters Presentation of the 1993 ASI-H.W. Wilson Award Buffet Lunch Keynote Speaker Hazel K. Bell, Editor, The Indexer Perhaps best known in the US as the editor of The Indexer for the past fifteen years, Hazel Bell is also the editor of Learned Publishing, the journal of the UK's Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers. Bell is the author of over 300 published indexes, numerous articles, and the booklet, Indexing Biographies and Other Stories of Human Lives. Reality Check: Book Index Characteristics that Facilitate Information Access Elizabeth D. Liddy and Corinne L. Jorgensen Syracuse University Making the Case for Professional Indexers: Where Is the Proof? Ira Kleinberg, Rutgers University Freelancers on Indexing Nancy Mulvany, moderator (Kensington, CA) Babs Klein (Cheyenne,WY) Frances Lennie (Rochester, NY) Elinor Lindheimer (Mendocino, CA) Jane Maddocks (Reston, VA), Alexandra Nickerson (Cincinnati, OH) CONFERENCE HOTEL The Best Western Old Colony Inn (625 First Street, Alexandria, VA) is the site of ASI's 25th Anniversary Conference. From the Inn, it's a pleasant walk to the heart of Old Town Alexandria where you will find brick and cobblestone streets lined with fine colonial homes, quaint townhouses, local shops, and restaurants. Just across the Potomac River from Alexandria is Washington, D.C. A free shuttle takes guests to and from National Airport and the Metro subway that runs directly into the nation's capital. A block of rooms has been set aside for our conference. Our group rate is $95.00/single room or $105.00/double room plus 9.5% tax. Make your reservations early. Call the Inn at (703) 548-6300. Be sure to indicate that you are attending the ASI conference. The cut-off date for group rate reservations is April 28, 1993. For conference fee schedule and registration form, please contact: American Society of Indexers 1993 Conference P.O. Box 386 Port Aransas, Texas 78373, U.S. (512) 749-4052 email: asi@well.sf.ca.us ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 13:32:30 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group Comments: From ALL-IN-1 account BALCH,TIM From: Tim Balch Subject: Re: Standards for French Names ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M Date: 26-Jan-1993 10:36am EDT From: Tim Balch BALCH,TIM Dept: Tel No: 304/696-2335 TO: _IN%INDEX-L@BINGVMB ( _IN%INDEX-L@BINGVMB ) Subject: RE: Standards for French Names Linda Hill, I think, has correctly stated the real aim of standards for names: to make the entry consistent across data sources. In reference work it can be very frustrating trying to find infor- mation on a person when every source uses a new form. A friend developed a list several years ago of the dozen or so forms used for the leader of Libya, Al-Qaddafi/Khaddafi. Of course, getting everyone to agree on _one_ form may not be possible. (As a sidenote, the March 1992 issue of "FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin" had an article on problems police have dealing with various ethnic names, and urging them to include every possible form in their databases. An article on Chinese names and the various transliteration systems is in the same issue.) --------------------------------------------------------------- Timothy A. Balch LIB007@MARSHALL.WVNET.EDU LIB007@MARSHALL James E. Morrow Library voice (304) 696-2335 Marshall University fax (304) 696-5858 "Knowledge is of two kinds; we know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it." Samuel Johnson --------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 16:31:48 ECT Reply-To: Indexer's Discussion Group Sender: Indexer's Discussion Group Comments: Warning -- original Sender: tag was cweaver@CARSON.U.WASHINGTON.EDU From: Carolyn Weaver Subject: Attn: Medical Indexers ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- If you are a medical indexer who will be attending the MLA Annual Meeting in Chicago I would be interested in meeting informally with you to discuss the trials, tribulations, and rewards of freelancing (or even salaried indexing!). Please reply directly to me if you would like to get together (perhaps 4-7 p.m on Tuesday, May 18, when there is a slot in the program for informal meetings/special interest groups). If there is sufficient interest (i.e. more than can be accommodated in the hotel bar or a restaurant) I'll try to pry a meeting room out of the Local Arrangements Committee and reply back to this list with the time/location. Carolyn Weaver Univ. Washington Health Sciences Library (day job!) cweaver@u.washington.edu voice: (206)543-3401 (days); (206) 643-1614 (home) =========================================================================